Sacrifice
by SeppukuSamurai
Summary: Ryo begins acting very strange after the Ronin's first battle with a new enemy. What happened to Ryo before the others got there and why is he pushing them farther and farther away?
1. Default Chapter

Prologue  
  
A figure hidden in the shadows sits quietly with a large black panther at his side, both watching a large bowl of water that has been places in front of them. Reflected on its shimmering surface were the images of a tremendous battle taking place between a gloriously white armor cladded warrior and a devilish apparition with long silver hair, gray armor, and a red face mask. The one in gray was shouting about how the inferno would be his again, when suddenly his opponent yelled, " If you want it so bad, then why don't you try it on for size!?"  
The man in shadows laughed manically as he watched the young warrior disappear into his opponent's body, taking control. He told his friends to destroy Talpa while they had the chance. The figure laughed even harder as the man's teammates attacked him, tears streaming down their faces, obliterating both figures completely. Suddenly, a brilliant blinding light shot forth from the necklace a young boy nearby was wearing. When the flash dimmed, it revealed the young warrior, still donned in the white armor, perfectly unharmed. The figure sighed in disappointment as he sat forward, and with a wave of his hand, made the dish of water vanish into thin air. The man appeared to be fairly young, in about his mid-twenties. His ebony hair was streaked with silver and his blood red eyes held only one emotion in them ; hatred. The onyx and crimson armor he wore clinked lightly as he began to stroke the gigantic cat's head. He chuckled softly.  
"I never imagined that they would risk killing one of their own in order to destroy a foe." The panther stopped purring and looked up at its master with its cold ice blue eyes. "Let's make them do it again!"  
  
Hey hope you enjoy. I'll get the next chap up soon (I hope) Reviews saying that u like it may make it come faster. Even flames r welcome 'cause in some strange twisted demented way they help me write better  
Ja Ne. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
"My God! Is he still asleep? It's nearly one o'clock!"  
"Rowen you're not one to talk." Ryo pointed out, "You can't seem to join the world of the living unless one of us spends an hour helping you do it." Rowen crossed his arms and tried to blow the stubborn strand of blue hair out of his face.  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a little worried ya know. Sage usually gets up at around the same ungodly hour of the morning as Cye."  
"Hn?" The bearer of Torrent looked up from what ever he was cooking, searching for the source that had said his name.  
"Nothing," Ryo called, waving his hand up and down, " we were just talking about what big freaks you and Sage are for being able to get up the butt crack of dawn."  
Cye laughed at this. "Well, not all of can sleep like we're in a coma." They all jumped suddenly when they heard a series of panic filled yells coming from upstairs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Sage was running along a path through a dense fog, clad in only his white and emerald sub armor. The others, also in their sub armors, were sprinting along side him but one by one they vanished, disappearing into the mist, until he was alone. He suddenly heard several shouts that sounded like his friends and took off in the direction they seemed to originate from. He could see a several forms appearing through the fog, so he pushed himself even harder to get there. The scene that met him when he arrived made him cry out in horror. Kento, Cye, and Rowen were laying deathly still on the floor in steadily increasing crimson puddles of their own blood. (Sry that was a bit dramatic wasn't it() As Sage neared his friends' mangled bodies, a cruel laugh from behind him brought him out of his shock. He turned and found himself face to face with a fairly tall man with ebony hair, streaked with gold, wearing silver and onyx armor. In his hand he held twin katanas, stained crimson to their hilts. The man smiled evilly at Sage and was about to stab him as he had with his friends, when his form suddenly melded into Ryo's horrified one.  
"R.UNNNN!" was all he was able to gasp before he transformed back into the murderer with blood red eyes.  
"Good bye, Halo." He hissed as he raised the katana and brought it slamming downward.....  
Sage yelled as he bolted straight up in his bed. He was covered in a thin sheet of cold sweat and was breathing like he had just finished running a marathon. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he heard his named being called and a second later found Ryo, Kento, Cye, and Rowen crashing through his bedroom door with panicked looks on their faces.  
"Hey guys, what's up?"  
Rowen gave him an annoyed look. "We heard you yelling and we thought you were in trouble."  
"Oh, I did? Sorry." Sage didn't want the others to think he was loosing it by telling them about what he had dreamed.  
Kento threw his hands in the air, letting out a loud sigh, as he left the room, shaking his head.  
"Well, if things are ok then that means you won't mind getting up and washing the car now will you?" Ryo said with a smirk.  
Sage groaned, " Hey that's not fair, why am I stuck with doing it?"  
Cye rolled his eyes, " Because we drew lots this morning and that was the one that got pulled out for you."  
"Beautiful." Sage moaned.  
Ryo turned to face him as the others filed out of the room. "Just be happy that you didn't get my job. I have really come to hate that lawn mower with a fiery passion."  
The warrior of light chuckled as he followed the group's leader down stairs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
About two hours later Sage sat at his bedroom window watching Ryo finish the lawn in the pouring rain. He laughed until he had tears in his eyes when he saw Ryo slip and fall face first into the mud. ' Man and I was complaining about having to wash a car!' His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he noticed the lawn mower lying on its side, still running, with Ryo nowhere in sight.  
  
Hey every one sry that this one was a bit short but I have a mental block right now * stabs a sharp butcher knife n2 a wooden block sitting on her notebook, not making much of a dent* Ooooppps sry bout that hopefully those anger management class will kick in here soon. Thanx 4 the reviews that I have gotten but I WOULD REAAAALLY LIKE 2 GET MORE! They're nice things 2 read when you have a crappy day at school. Any way I'll try 2 get the next chappie up here soon til then  
Ja Ne  
  
P.S. yes I do realized that his hair was streaked with silver in the prologue but I changed it 2 suit my needs. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
'How is it that I'm always the one to draw Mow the lawn' Ryo thought as he picked himself up off the ground and resumed trying to finish the lawn. He was finally about to call it quits when a small amount of movement caught his eye. As he took a closer look, he could just make out the form of a man wearing silver and onyx armor standing in the trees. He blinked and looked again to find that the person was gone. Without another moments though, the bearer of Wildfire took off into the woods, following the strange feeling he had in his stomach, until he reached a small clearing. In the center stood the man that he had seen in the trees. Ryo quietly walked up behind the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Umm...excuse me?"  
"Tsk, Tsk, Wildfire. Letting your guard down so easily will cost you dearly." The ebony haired man snapped his fingers and before he could react, Ryo was bound by the wrists and ankles by thick ropes that had appeared out of nowhere. The man finally turned around, flashing his blood red eyes on his prey, and laughed manically.  
"Now that was far to easy. I thought catching a Ronin would be much more difficult." He snapped his fingers again, sending crackling, black energy through the ropes and into his victim's body. Ryo bit his lip until it bled to keep from letting the screams of agony escape his throat.  
The man's eyes narrowed with rage as he barked, "ENOUGH!"  
The energy stopped and the young man hung limply from his bonds. He desperately tried to the black void growing at the edge of his mind as his attacker withdrew a sharp dagger from within his armor and slowly advanced upon the captured teen. Ryo flinched slightly as the man released his right arm and unfurled the fist his hand had clenched itself into. He took the dagger and made a long vertical slash in his own hand.  
"My blood."  
He again took up the dagger and pressed the sharp bladed agenst the palm of Ryo's right hand, creating an identical gash.  
"Your blood." The young man screamed in terror and pain as his assailant his injured hand in his, cuts lining up perfectly, as he said the last line of the spell.  
"Our blood."  
A blinding light ignited from their hands as Ryo was hurled backward into a large oak tree. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
The four remaining Ronins gritted their teeth as another wave of agony  
passed from their leader to them. Clad in their sub armors, they quickly  
followed after White Blaze, who had finally picked up his master's scent.  
They had almost given up hope of finding their friend, when they reached  
a small clearing, just in time to see Ryo being flung into a tree by a  
man in silver and onyx armor. He slid down the trunk's rough surface and  
fell to the ground, not moving. His friends let out a cry of rage, for  
they had seen enough.  
"ARMOR OF HALO! TAO CHI!"  
"ARMOR OF STRATA! TAO INNOCHI!"  
"ARMOR OF HARDROCK! TAO GI!"  
"ARMOR OF TORRENT! TAO SHIN!"  
In a whirl of silk banners and sakura blossoms, each of the young  
men's sub armors had been transformed into their powerful next stage.  
Rowen strung an arrow from his never-ending supply in his bow, took  
careful aim, and released it. The arrow left a gleaming trail behind it  
as it streamed toward the ebony haired man. His eyes widened with shock  
as he swiftly shot to the side with the arrow getting close enough to  
barely graze his left cheek. The look of shock on his face was quickly  
replaced with an evil grin as he wiped away the black colored blood that  
seeped from the wound and in a cloud of smoke disappeared. His voice  
suddenly echoed through out the clearing as a small blue orb appeared and  
fell toward the unsuspecting Ronins.  
"Hope you enjoy my present Ronins, it's a real blast."  
Ryo, who had finally gotten to his feet, sprinted toward his friends  
as he yelled, "NO! GET OUTTA THERE NOW!" The bearer of Wildfire jumped  
high into the air, grabbed the sphere, and hit the ground running. The  
ball began to glow a brilliant white when it suddenly flew out of Ryo's  
hands, rose a few feet above his head, and detonated. The force from the  
explosion flung the teen several feet away where he hit the ground on his  
right side with a sickening thud and was knocked unconscious.  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Back in the throne room, the giant panther was snoozing lightly,  
when his master suddenly appeared in the middle of the room where he fell  
to his knees, clutching his right arm.  
"That fool, he almost ruined everything." The large cat padded  
over to the man and helped him into a nearby chair. "Good thing I sent  
the orb away from him before it exploded."  
The panther shook its head, and in a deep voice growled, "Master  
Martis from what I have observed, I truly think that this wasn't a wise  
decision."  
" That maybe," he said as he paused to watch the image of the  
unconscious Ryo being carried home by his friends. "But think of all the  
fun I'm going to have with them."  
  
Hey all sry it took me so long to update. School started and I  
have learned that I have a psyco b*tch from hell for a Spanish teacher.  
I'll try as much as I can to get the next chappie out soon so bear with  
me if it does end up taking awhile. REMEMBER: THE REVIEW BUTTON IS YOUR  
FRIEND!  
Ja Ne 


End file.
